How does a Carnival cruise differ than setting sail on a Viking sea cruise line?
This blog posts realizes all work and no vacation play makes Jack and Jill dull people.
Real estate agents and brokers work some incredible long hours and earned a sea cruise vacation.
Don’t mind if I do. Just completed a Viking cruise sailing on the newest Vesta ship.
Under a thousand cruisers, almost 500 staff from 39 countries manning the decks and duties on the Viking Vesta cruise ship.
This was my first Viking cruise ship experience on their ocean going not river boat cruise option. Meg and I just finished up the Greek Odyssey Island Viking ship cruise on the new Vesta ship.
Seventeen Carnival cruise ship experiences starting with a cruise with my kids on the brand new smoke free Paradise ship.
Used all the cruises to draw from in the travel log comparison differences between Carnival and Viking.
One is not better or worse, just offer a slightly different approach to vacation sea cruses.
Shared observations to help you select which line fits you best.
There are over 60 cruise companies serving World vacation travelers today.
Lots of options for where you select from the cruise ship room location from the deck plans.
Programing of all of the cruise lines constantly considers the vacation traveler audience segment they seek to entice to come aboard.
To pay for of the expensive boats. To keep them coming back for more floating cruise vacations on their brand.
Studying the feedback, watching cruise industry trends. Working around events like COVID and onboard health safety a priority to protect cruisers and crew.
How to fill the boat staterooms and market the differences of each cruise ship deck and category.
The goal to add more cruise ships to the line, to increase travel option ports of calls.
To increase stock value and make a healthy profit.
Sheer company efficiency in the marketing and watching expenses.
What level of service and pampering the company provides to get repeat loyal cruisers returning to vacation on their particular cruise line.
All cruise lines work hard paying attention to the big and small details. They need you happy and relaxed for the rest and relaxation.
To key in and deliver on whatever “floats the boat” for each target segment.
Polling cruisers, study of what other lines are offering. Constantly adjusting what they serve up happens.
What would be the ideal sea cruise experience can change over a person’s life time.
The Carnival to Viking back to Carnival cruise line swing.
If you have a family, are looking for a value cost saving options.
That kind of cruise travel is way different than no no. You are retired, kids grown, traveling in an 18+ adults only mode.
Until change the cruise line approach again when grandchildren are invited to vacation with the grandparents.
Carnival Cruise Line and Viking are vastly different travel approaches.
The Carnival Cruise Line vibe is high energy and glitzy, let’s drink gamble party.
Viking’s vibe is quiet, serene and “Scandi-modern sophisticated”.
I enjoyed cruising with my young family on Carnival boats.
The Carnival cruise ship boats are larger, more pools and have lots of kids.
As I said or typed earlier, my first cruise was on Carnival Paradise, a smoke free brand new boat taken with my four children.
The last few Carnival cruises the family and I were on new mega-ships of 6500+ passengers like the Celebration and Jubilee.
This past week’s Viking Vesta sea cruise vacation on a small ship of roughly 998 passengers.
With Carnival cruises, the base fare is lower and you “a la carte” to add on the drink packages, Wi-Fi, the off-boat excursions. You learn how to maximize your cabin deck category choice.
It’s up to you to land the best airfare to the cruise port with Carnival.
To get to the port to climb on board the cruise ship.
To catch a plane after the cruise ship disembarkation kicks you off according to your color luggage tag.
So the crew can prepare the ship for the next sea cruise passengers load.
On Viking, it’s all-inclusive with Wi-Fi, wine/beer at meals and one excursion per port included.
Your airfare all arranged.
The Viking cruise line crew is there to escort you and your luggage to the boat.
Then deliver you off the boat at the end of the sea cruise vacation to your airport gate.
Carnival cruises are often families with kids, budget conscious, multi generation groups.
Viking ocean and river are adults only (18+) couples, retirees, older couples and singles that are lifelong learners. No canon ball jumping in the swimming pools. No hairy chest contests or cruiser talent shows to cheer for shows.
On Carnival you find water parks, rope courses, arcades, Broadway-style shows, IMAX theatres.
Here’s a go pro shot of the kids snorkeling in Cozumel Mexico on a Carnival Cruise ship vacation.
A big video screen in the center of the boat for outdoor movies, sun tanning and deck parties. There is the ding ding ding of casino gambling when out in international waters on your Carnival cruise ship.
With Viking cruise lines, you are hit with boy, it sure is quiet.
NO casino roulette wheels spinning, crap tables card games or one-armed bandit sounds on a Viking cruise ship.
NO big screen display by the busiest center pool.
NO kid’s clubs and the focus is on lectures, enrichment with Viking. Quiet places to read, play cards, enjoying high tea and the sweets.
Hot towels handed to you using tongues as you return to the boat after excursions.
On Carnival the dress code is casual with “Cruise Elegant” formal nights.
Lot of photo shoots and chances to purchase the say “cheese” vacation captures.
The boat ride on Viking is no photographer.
No camera flashes going off except a few cruisers capturing their personal photos. The dress code is elegant casual, no dress to the nines formal nights on Viking.
I would estimate the average age on the Viking Vesta cruise vacation was 62 years old. On the last seventeen Carnival cruises, rachet it back to 42 average years of age.
Bigger Carnival boat, more options for where to eat, what to see, hear and do. Everything super-sized, longer lines.
Smaller Viking ship, lines? What lines. Peace and quiet and cruisers head to bed way earlier.
The last night of a cruise on Carnival?
Lots of continuing music, lounge laughter, bars and casino and food consumption still underway until the night.
On Viking ship, crickets.
Harp music at breakfast as you prepare for disembarkation.
Everyone retires early and the ship hallways empty, the boat quiet on Viking cruises.
NO IMAX theatre or tons of lounges, entertainers and less dining venue options on a smaller Viking ship. No late-night comedians or magicians.
Instead of a full throttle high gear eat drink and be merry to not miss a drop with a larger Carnival cruise ship’s younger crowd.
Your quieter, less people ride on the Viking cruise ship like the Vesta feels like somewhere down shifted to second gear.
Viking has a shop or two with limited offerings.
Nothing out in the hall runway to pull you in like sirens selling you something. Whatever you pick up for shopping is done during a break on a guided shore excursion.
You shop on shore for souvenirs and no one is hustled on the boat with Viking.
Everything on the Vesta was extremely clean, no signs of wear and tear.
No rugs rats or carpet ice cream or pizza spills. Blue and tan the prevalent colors and understated simple elegance the vibe.
The soothing sound of birds chirping, water waves lapping in the Viking public bathrooms.
While Carnival cruise ships loaded with flashy colors, bright lights, lots of music and laughter.
Each ship like a self-contained floating resort and round the clock something always being peddled.
Pace yourself.
Try to keep up and don’t feel overwhelmed.
More than a few choices of where to eat, drink, listen to lectures, music productions or comedy shows.
T-shirts, logo merch, gold chains by the inch and watches, jewelry, clothing, a store for flowers, tuxedos, candy, suntan lotion, everything under the sun available on a Carnival mega ship.
Bucket of beer specials, drink of the day for a buck off. You don’t witness that on Viking cruises. Different crowd, not the same focus, less people. Probably not a carbon copy vision of how you and I want to spend the same sea cruise vacation right?
Want to buy a Bingo card, one for Deal or No Deal in the large auditorium? Carnival is your pick.
Get your hair done, facial treatment, sauna?
You can get pretty and relaxed on each line.
But wait for the deals that unroll the deeper into the cruise week you go.
You are on a Carnival ship with the big open atrium and often exposed glass elevators pumping up and down.
With Carnival, the ship itself can be the destination and some never leave the boat (or the bar or buffet line or black jack table).
Heck there are cruises to nowhere that just head out on the blue green water for a few days to fit in a quickie.
Gimme a beat.
There is non-stop entertainment, gambling, drinking, eating every twenty minutes. It’s like.. well, a self-contained carnival fun, sensations eat drink and be merry.
My kids used the four pools, rope courses, mini golf, roller coasters, camp Carnival clubs. Louder, budget friendly.
On Viking, it’s no kids, no cruisers under 18 years of age and premium luxury cruising. Shorter list of on-board boat fun options than Carnival. Longer World cruise itineraries delivered in a lower key Scandinavian style.
The Viking ship is a comfortable floating hotel used to explore the World. The focus is port-side cultural history about whichever harbor you tie up and dock overnight. The fellow cruiser relationships that happen during your vacation.
Viking’s approach is let’s head to shore to learn about the local cultures and lifestyles. Small low-key table or two of cruisers playing cards. Working on a puzzle. Reading a book tucked away in a lounge corner or attending a cooking class.
The cost for Carnival versus Viking cruise lines?
Carnival is quite a bit cheaper upfront but can nickel and dime for the extras.
Paying for the art shows or jewelry, photo package, excursion options. Anything offered that’s marked up for profit to help monetize the cruise from every angle.
Viking is going to set up back three to five times more initially, but you avoid the hidden costs of excursion tours, drinks, specialty dining, laundry. travel costs to and from port. Viking books the flight air fare. Picks you up at the airport, delivers you and your luggage to the port.
Carnival is see you at the cruise port.
Good luck with Ubers, your connections coming aboard and leaving the boat. No one holding up a Viking lollipop sign and helping you with flights, luggage, transportation. You are on your own to build the coming in and out of the vacation yourself.
People say they feel safer on the excursions on Viking. The red coats with the numbered lollipop guides do a superb job herding, shepherding the cruisers.
I like on Carnival to get off the boat leisurely when we all had breakfast.
Was used to finding a local taxicab driver with a well-worn Bible on the dash. Setting up the day’s itinerary, negotiating the price. To at the end of the day arrive safely back at the ship. With plenty of time to spare. Before the loud deep ship horn sounds as the anchor chain gets raised.
Viking ships that are smaller can access less crowded ports.
Visit more remote destinations easily. Carnival massive ships cannot just dock anywhere and are restricted to major, tourist heavy ports with deep water.
So there are some differences between Carnival and Viking cruise line vacations and what to expect.
You have to consider which cruise vacation is best for YOU.
The actual cruisers on your ship have talent and on Carnival they get pulled into the game shows, the auditions to perform.
Viking lets you sit there and does all the heavy lifting with a much smaller entertainment staff.
The biggest take away between the two cruise lines Carnival and Viking in one word.
Loud or quiet.
Viking cruise ships are quiet all vacation long. Everything is taken care of and arranged for you.
Carnival cruises are never a dull moment, more than enough to pick from to action pack your vacation on the floating resort. They start out cheaper but easy does it to avoid getting financially carried away with the spending adds ons.
Kids or no kids one of the biggest distinctions between Carnival and Viking cruises.
A Carnival boat offers almost everything a good vacation needs right on the ship. The Viking boat is the food and lodging solitude in-between the onshore excursions that complete the vacation.
My next cruise on Viking or Carnival cruise lines?
Depends on are my grandchildren coming and the ports of call itinerary.
The big Carnival boats are impressive and love studying the deck plan, comparing the cost of corner cabins. Loft 19 perks.
Viking has Explorer cabin suites, and I love the corners, the aft and bow location hideouts.
They help you create space, peace and quiet on the Carnival ship. But it’s quiet everywhere and all the cabins have balconies on a Viking vessel.
Are you spending lots of time in your cabin or up on deck or out on the mainland tramping?
What ocean cruise vacation destination intrigues you most?
Caribbean Islands, the Panama Canal, a Greek Island or Alaska tour?
Parked off the Hawaiian Islands and tendering in and out from your ship?
All I know is you work hard and travel opens your mind for mental health. Cruises are a floating vacation buffet of destinations. Looking forward to the next sea cruise and reliving the experiences after returning home from one. That’s almost as much fun as the cruise itself.
The actually planning the trip, taking one is something you earn and a healthy habit.
The Viking Vesta boat ride cruise that Meg and I are just returning from had 500 crew members for 998 guests.
That crew from 39 different countries on the Viking ship from around the World really adds to the cruising experience on all the cruise ship lines.
Travel, especially the blue green water and 100-degree temperature swing kind is good for your mental health outlook. It’s a reward. Don’t forget to apply the sunscreen. Pack a couple good books for the plane ride, sitting on a beach or sprawled on a cruise ship deck lounger.
On your death bed, you will not probably lament “I wish I had not traveled”.
But instead that “I’m glad I took the trips while I was healthy enough. Or wish I had booked even more trips along the fast-moving stages of my life.
Get out of town, run away from home.
Come to Maine, book a sea cruise on whatever line that starts the journey.
The memorable travel you make time for completely changes up the day to day same old routine of wherever you live now.
It’s fun to talk to other sea cruisers on your vacation and compare notes. Crystal does this, but Norwegian, Virgin, Princess or Holland America offers that. Check them out and look for the deals.
Remember, they over sell the bottom of the boat and the sooner you book the cruise with a room to be determined (TBD) means you can float, to climb a couple categories.
Or pack your bags, be ready to drop everything to race to the cruise ship that is not quite full for some reason.
The cruise lines wants a full boat, other vacationers like you to spend money on the drink package, in the casino, taking shore excursions, buying photos, jewelry, t-shirts and massages or facials.
Last minute cruises if you live near the port or can arrange economical airfare are another money saving option.
My next cruise? Booked yet?
No but thinking heavily about the Scandinavian route as I study the online cruise ship line propaganda.
I love sampling everything Maine offers for travel options too. But venturing out further away from Maine just makes me feel how lucky I am to grow up, raise a family, work here listing and selling real estate living in Maine
Over 400 cruise ships to Maine mean come sample the lighthouses, roam the coastal ports to sample Vacationland. Thank you for following our Me In Maine blog posts.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |
MOOERS REALTY 69 North Street Houlton Maine 04730